After a week hiatus, Fear the
Walking Dead returned. I hoped with a little more action than episode 2. With the episode’s name, I am guessed the
episode will upset dog lovers.
Travis, Liza and Chris are still in
the barbershop, as all hell breaks loose on the streets outside. Travis is eager to get back to Madison’s house
to pick her and the teens up before they leave town. Chris urges his father to just leave town and
not go to his girlfriend’s house. The barber, Daniel, surmises they may have to
abandon his shop soon and run. A fire
has started in nearby buildings.
At “home”, Maddy looks out the
window at her slain neighbors while Nick worries about his withdrawal symptoms
returning. To distract the teens, Maddy
produces a game of Monopoly.
The barbershop must be abandoned as
the fire grows. Travis and the other
family run through the chaotic scene. It
is difficult to tell the looters from the zombies. The barber’s wife Griselda
is trapped briefly under fallen scaffolding, she has badly injured her leg. Travis is able to load everyone into his old
truck and flee.
Maddy and her kids play Monopoly by
candlelight but there is the sound of occasional gunfire interrupting the
otherwise cozy scene. In the truck, the
radio warns there is a “state of emergency” declared in thirteen states. They pass by a hospital surrounded by military
forces, shooting and chaos. They have no
choice but to drive on with the injured Griselda. Daniel is uncomfortable with feeling indebted
to anyone who isn’t family.
The lights go out in downtown LA. At home Nick is becoming impatient waiting for
Travis. Shots are heard again and Nick
asks his mother if she has told Alicia the true nature of the walking dead. A German Shepard appears at their door, covered
in blood but unhurt. Nick tells his mom
they should go to get their neighbor’s shotgun. Nick knows of it because he tried to steal it
before. As the family exits, Dawson, the
zombie neighbor enters their home. (You’d think people in LA would always lock
their doors, sheesh!)
The family enters their neighbor’s
house. (Unlocked?) The place is quiet
and the lights flicker on and off. Nick
locates the gun and Maddy searches for ammo. Travis pulls up in his truck as Madison
realizes Dawson is inside their home.
The family runs through their neighbors yard to catch Travis. Travis spies Dawson eating the German Shepard
in their living room! Travis attempts to
talk to him as Peter tries to bite him. Next
door, Mrs. Tran is discovered in the backyard, a walker. Alicia is still there, trying to get more
ammo. Daniel takes the Tran’s gun and
shoots Peter; it takes two shots in the head to kill him. It’s a gross mess worthy of the Walking Dead.
Maddy goes to find Alicia. She
explains to her daughter Mrs. Tran is not sick, she’s dead. Nick and Chris rush to her aid to help her
escape Mrs. Tran. In the scuffle, Chris is injured. Travis helps Chris after
the fight. Chris asks his father “What
is wrong with that man and that woman?” Travis
doesn’t answer but says, “We’ll all be all right.” Lame! Travis lobbies the group to not leave until
morning. Maddy disagrees but doesn’t
want to split the group.
Travis has covered Dawson’s body
and is dragging him outside. Daniel
implores him to burn the body, so the disease won’t spread. Travis, mad at
Daniel says, “He didn’t deserve this.”
Inside, Liza speaks with Travis,
“You were right, they don’t die!” She
fears Griselda is doomed because she can’t set her fractured leg and infection
will set in, ultimately killing her. Liza beats herself up for not going to
medical school. (As a former nurse, this fiction that all nurses are “failed
doctors” is irritating. Even a top orthopedic surgeon wouldn’t be able to help
Griselda much in a home setting!)
Daniel’s daughter, Ofelia, is
worried about her mother. She implores
her father to go get him help. Daniel
wants to only rely on family and is stubborn about not being “indebted” to
others for their help. They are from El
Salvador and don’t have close family nearby, despite Daniel telling Travis a “cousin”
was coming to pick them up. Ofelia likes their new friends, calling them “good
people.” Daniel wryly observes, “Good people are the first ones to die in a
crisis.” Preach!
Maddy informs Nick they don’t have
many pills left. (After giving some to Griselda.) Maddy speaks to Travis alone.
She says, “I thought I lost you.” He replies, “You won’t lose me.”
Maddy and ex-wife Liza share a
moment. They try to come to an understanding, especially since it seems they
will be leaving together. She tells Liza
that Mrs. Tran was not just a neighbor, but also a caretaker for her children
and her friend. Maddy implores Liza to
shoot her if she should turn, knowing the sensitive Travis wouldn’t be able to perform.
It seems Maddy already is a much better
survivor then her boyfriend.
Travis buries Peter while Susan
Tran growls from behind her fence. (Is she not a strong enough walker to break
down that fragile fence?) Inside, Daniel teaches Chris how to shoot. Travis interrupts the lesson stating his
opposition to guns. Maddy didn’t see the
harm in the lesson.
Maddy approaches Susan. Travis stops her, saying, “Don’t do something
that can’t be undone.” He seems to
mirror early Hershel who thought the walkers were merely “sick” and we don’t
kill sick people. Daniel scoffs at
Travis for being “weak.”
Mr. Tran arrives home, looking for
his wife. Maddy leaves. Susan growls at her husband. Suddenly, the military surround the
neighborhood by land and air. They see Mrs. Tran and shoot her in the head in
front of her husband as he cries out. They
explain to him tersely that his wife was infected.
People in HAZMAT suits load up the
deceased. The men points and questions
the new grave and Maddy states, “Our dog died.” Nick scurries to find more drugs but sees a
young girl and stops to wave.
Travis observes, “The cavalry has
arrived, it’s going to get better.” Daniel
shakes his head, “it’s already too late.”
It’s hard to feel any empathy for
Travis, since we, as the audience knows he’s dead wrong about the crisis and
the nature of walkers. The preview shows
the full-scale martial law response to the crisis. I’m still finding it a bit hard to get excited
about this cast of characters. I think
that Maddy and Daniel are most likely to survive since they’ve killed already.
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